Bed



2' Sheets-,She-et BED w. MINGLE E1' 'AL med June 2s, 1924 DMn 1s, 192s4 w. MINGLE ET rm.

BED l l "vUNiiEDI-STA Patented Dec. 18, 1928..

WILLIAM iviiivsnniiivn lHniymirliit. ".iioiisoiv, or MQNTBEALQQEBC, cANn,".As sisivoas To siiviiaoNs LIMITED, orY MONTREAL, Quinsno, yCarmina. l

BED.

Application tiled rune 23,

This invention relatesto improvements in y beds and more particularly to beds of atype intended for hospital or invalid use and having the bottom articulated toprovide back y and leg supports .which may be adjustedto.

various degrees of inclination.

rlfhe yprimary object of'.

for adjusting thev inclinationgof the* bottomy n io sections,salid means being so yConstructed as to relieve the bed proper of 'certain stresses pertaining peculiarlyto the raising and low# eriiig of the bottom sections;

A further object s to provide `fina device vlo of this character a permanently.v connected operating handle which may be foldedum der the lbed'and out of the way when lnot in use.- vvj Y Various other'objects and advantages may be ascertained from thefollowing ,descrip'' tion and the accom an infr drawin s.;

The type o-bed to `which this invention re-j lates embodies a. yrigid .main frame, upon which is mounted an aiticu'lated bed bottom,

the. several sections'ofwhich are providedf with means 'tor holding them at various; in-

clinations.. The lsupportingineans of the bottom sections fmost. commonly` used. en:-l gage innotched holdingmembersand as a 301 result the numberV ofpositions to which-thc bottom sections may beadjusted islimited by the number oi'' notches in the members.y Adjusting ldevices have beenproposed embodyf ing a i rightand left-hand screw -journalled T on the main frame and'carryin nuts vlinked to thebottom section to lbe adJusted. Such an arrangement has 'the 'great' disadvantagel that when the bottom sections are lowered the elevating links are nearly' in-parallelisml 40 with the screw so that, .particularly at the commencement of the elevating operation, there is ay very greatoutward thrust on the.

bottom frame which can be counteractedfonly the stressesareyequalized inthe.gearfitself` p so that there is no thrust upon the .bed lframe, thus enabling the use of lighter frames the eliminationof cross-ties to resistthru'st, therebymaterially` reducing the costV of the structure besides kpresenting additional advantages which will be vhereinafter dealt With. The operating gear-'comprises aright'-1 he invention is to provide simple, durableand eiiicient means links.-

:In 'the accompanying drawings ywhich-l. Y

i924'. seriaiN-o. vr721,916.,y y

and left-hand rscrew ijfournalled 4on the main frame ofthe bed and carrying adjacent each TES 'mii-1e:NrsogFFl'C'E-l.;

end thereof aloose 'collan-v Right. and left@V hand'nutsare providedo'n the screw'andfVV connected by links to a movable section of the A6o v f bed bottom. These linksare connect-edmidf way between their ends to the collars by fury-.

therl-inks andthe collarsatopposite. ends vot the screw are .connectedto Aone another; by

illust-rate one embodiment otthelinvention,...

but to the specificdetails of ywhich the invention is notconiined y, ,Fig 1 is a side elevationot a bed having' an articula-ted'bottom. y 4 Y Fig. 2 is a planview of same.

Fig. 3 is,V across sectional view-. on

an enlarged scale atthe planeet operating i ,.575- Fig'. 41s a 'fragmentarybottomplanView.; Ashowing gear. f

the mounting `of the vvoperatingl crank.' i l Y 1 vReferring more particularly -to the draw-.- ings, 11` designates the rigidl main frameloil a bed whichmay be constructed in any usual Y or suitable mannen Mounted upon this rigid' frame is'an articulated bed bottom com.

prising' an anchor. section 12. fiXedly related .Y

to theframe 11.; ahead section 13; a. leg sec-g tion 14and a. foot section 15. The sections 13. and 14 are hingedly related toythesection 12,

and the vsection 15 is hingedly related to they section*y 14. The construction ofk these .secs

tionsmay .be asdesired and their number maybe increased or diminished according. to

they particular service for which the-bed is y adapted.' Only .the ramesofy thesesections are illustrated, but it will be-understood that any'usual yorvsuitable type of bottom fabric will be mounted in` the. articulated lbottom frame. In order to hold the side members of.4 i

the frameagainst being drawn together byY fabric,"dropbraces 16 areprovided as neces vthe weight of apersonresting onthe bottom 10o" sary yon the bottom sections. *f In the particu'- lar typefotbed illustrated, elevating'vgear is7 the foot `.section being ,supported'by yspecial means' comprising at veach side ofthexbfedi rovided lfor the .head andileg sectionslonly,

a notched bar 17 pivotally related at-oneend;

ltoy the bottom frame, preferably .at the joinv ture of the leg vand Vfoot sections, vthek oppo site ends ofthese bars rest upon the main f Y frame 11 and are tied-together vacrossythe bed by a rod 18. Guide ribs 19 are secured to the main frame, for example, within the bars 17 to hold them against lateral movement, such as would disengage them :from the mainl frame. Links'20 are pivot-ally conl nected to the opposite sides oithe toot seci loperate to form adjusting means therefor'.

The number of elevating gears employed may be increased or diminished as desired or vaccording to the number of adjustable sections in the bed bottom. The various elevating gears are similar and therefore one only Y co' will be described.l i

The operating gear embodies a rightleft-hand screw 22 extending transversely Vot' the bed under the main frame and beneath the Sec-tion to be adjusted. This screw is journalled adjacent its ends in suitable brackets '23 securedl to the main trame 11. End collars 24 are fixed to the shaft outside fthe bearings 23 `to hold the shaft against movement in its axial direction. These collars are diametrically slotted, 'as at 25, to receive one end oit' an operating crank 26, which may be pivotally connected to the collar by a pin 27. The crank is oiiset, as at 23, a suflicient distance to enable it tov swing clear ofthe main frame l1, t-he oiiiset serving also when the crank is swung round its pivot 27" from the operative position shown in #full linesFigure 4 tothe inoperative position shown in broken lines to enable the crank to l passth-roughthe vertical plane oit' the outside web of the angle iron usually usedV in the construction ot' bed frames. Vhen thus swung inwardly the crankis entirely out of the way but may be swung out for use in Va moment of time. When in operating position a lug 29.011 the crank, bearing against the bottoni of the slot 25, holds the crank against movement inwardly such as would permit it to strike the bed frame. The crank being connected to the screw is safeguarded from less and is always available tor immediate use. The employment; of slotted collars at each end ofthe screw makes it'possible to attach the crank to either end otv the shaft as may be dictated b y the location of the bed.

A pair of nuts 30 are mount-ed on the'screw on opposite Vsides 'ot the centre so that upon rotation oi' the screw these nuts, it held against rotationvwith the screw, will move in opposite directions. A block 31 is pivotally connected'to each side of a bottom traine section, either directly orby means ot a bracket 32. Links 33 are pivotally connected at. their ends tothe nuts 30- and the adjacent blocks 31, and hold the nuts against rotation withtheV screw, the links being preferably anne-piece cast or forged link, biturcated at its ends, may be substituted. Preferably the point ot attachment of the nuts and links is located below the screw. Collars 34 are loosely mounted on the screw adgac'ent the ends 'thereof and preferably in contact with the inner faces oi" the bearing brackets 23.l These collars have nooperative*engagement with the screw threads and therefore will'not travel on the screw'whenlthe saine` is rotated but the screwwillrotate within. the cellars.

Links 35 are. pivotally connected their A lower endsto the collars and hold the collars against rotation with the screw. Y These links are pivoted attheir .upper ends to the links 33 ata pointmidwaybetween the pivotedw vcentres ot the links l33.V Betweenpivoted points the links 35 are exactlylhalic;I thelength of the links 3,3.l Thepivotalpoints ottlie links 33fand 35 on the nuts 3.0 and collars34 respectively are disposed preferably. all inVV one straight line parallel with the axis .orp-

thelscrew. The collars 34 at opposite' sides ofthebed are connected to one another by links orftension rods 35, which vmay conven-f iently be connected to the collars by the same pivots which connect the links 35.

The position of the parts which the bed bottom section is lowered to rest on themain 1 i frame is illustrated inbreken lines, Figure 3,

and yit will be observed that the positionV oi` the links 33 approaches paralleliSmwit-h the screw. In practice the angle betweenthel links' and screw in the lowered position` of the bottom section is made: as great as-,possible by disposing the screw somedistance below,v the main fra-me. -Vhen theA screw is rotated'A in the properdirection thenuts'30 move apart which they are connected isV raised. The outward movement of the nutsproduces a ten#V un i dency to outward thrust through thev links 33 against vthe-bottom frame, but this Outward 'e thrust is transmitted through the links 35 to the collars, so that the tendency is to thrust outwardly against the bearingsl 23.: and

through them. against the main framel 11,.l

The outward Vthrust is, however, transmitted from collar to Vcollar vthrough 'the linksV 3,6 so that the outward thrust on lone side fofthe bed neutralizes the outwardandopposite thrust on the other side ofthe bed, and thusl relieves both the bed bottom frame and the main frame of allV outward thrust due tothe movementof the nuts.. VThe collars 24which,

iso'V while nominally for the purpose of holding the screw against movement in its axial direc tion, function but slightly in this manner owing to the counter-balancing of -forces acting on'the screw. These collars in reality function only in the event of load being greater at one side of the Vframe section than at the other. VThe lengths of thelinks' and 35 and the disposition' o1 their pivotal points on the nuts and collars compel the upper. ends of the links 33 to move in a vertical pathand thereby not only relieve the bottom rameof outward thrust but enable the links 33 to sup--` port the sides of the frame section against be'- .ingvdrawn together by the weight of a person'on the bed bottom. .The blocks 31, being pivotally connected to the bottom frame section and the whole gear beingfree to swing` around the axis of the screw, it will be evident that vthe links will incline freely :trom the ver.-

. tical toward the ends of the bed as the bottom sections are moved.v The load on the bedbottom' operates through the linkage as an outward thruston the collars 34 and as these opposite thrusts neutralize throinrhthe links 36 the only load transmittedto the main i frame is vertically downward.

Having thus described our invention, what weclaimisz# -v n Y l. In a bed, a main frame, an articulated bed bottom supported-thereon, and adjusting Y gear for the bed bottom comprising a rightand left-hand screwdisposed transversely of the bed, nuts thereon, linkage between said lnuts and the sides of the bed bottoni frame,

thrust collars within which said screw turns,

y and further links half the length of said first links connected betweenthe medial'points of. said irst mentioned links and the thrust col-` lars whereby the ends of said'rst links con- `nected to the bottomv frame arev compelled to move vertically and the outward thrust of the nuts is transmitted to the collars, vand 'links fingsaid nuts and the sides of a section of the bed bottom, further links extending between'y the irst links and the collars, and links connecting thecollars at op-posite sides of the bed, and. thrust collars fixed to the end of the screw outside the brackets holding the screw against movement in its axial direction.

3. In a bed, a main frame, an articulated bed bott-om supported thereon, and means for adjusting .the inclination of the bed bottom' comprising a -rightand left-hand screw A,disjposedV transversely of the main'vframe and journalled thereon, nuts on said screw and links *pivotally connected between' said nuts and the bed bottom,th e said links at each end of the screw being .disposed on each side of theV nutsl and the point of pivotal attachment being disposed beneath the screw, thrust collars at the ends' of the screw, Vfurther links connected between the first links and the colp larsat points beneath the screw, and links connected directly between the collars at jpoints-beneaththe screw'. l

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

WILLIAM MINGLE. i .y HENRY M. Jackson. 'l 

